The HeliRussia 2010 salon was a reflection of the changing situation in the Russian helicopter industry, an increase in production volumes and an increase in the participation of foreign companies.
At the third annual HeliRussia salon, which took place in Moscow from May 20 to May 22, 150 participants from 14 countries of the world were represented. For Oboronprom's subsidiary Russian Helicopters, which includes the largest Russian helicopter manufacturers, the salon has become an excellent opportunity to showcase its achievements in 2009.
Production growth
In 2009, the plants of the association produced 183 helicopters, which is 14 units more than in 2008. Such progress was, however, lower than expected: a year ago, the corporation's plans for 2009 included 231 helicopters. According to the old tradition, the main part of the produced equipment was Mi-8 (up to 139 per year), intended for the most part for export. However, today it is also worth noting a tangible increase in supplies for the armed forces: in 2009, the Russian army received 41 new helicopters against only 10 in 2008. Among them were the new Mi-28N and Ka-52, a batch of transport Mi-8MTV5, as well as training Ansat-U.
The plan for 2010 includes 214 helicopters. This task is quite feasible, given that the necessary contracts have already been signed long ago. According to Andrey Shibitov, the general director of Russian Helicopters, the order book of the factories for 2010 and 2011 is almost full, while the factories in Kazan and Ulan-Ude have signed contracts for 20 to 30% of their capacities already for 2012.
The offensive of the West
Despite all of the above, this year the show was dominated by foreign participants. Particular attention was drawn to the EC175 Eurocopter and AW139 AgustaWestland. The first Russian buyer of the EC175 is none other than UTair, the company that has the largest fleet of civilian helicopters in Russia: in total since 2008 it has ordered 15 EC175s. According to Andrey Martirosov, UTair CEO, "this is the best helicopter for transporting VIPs and offshore operations." In addition, he stressed that Eurocopter took into account UTair's experience in the Arctic zone. A minimum of 5 helicopters from the first batch of EC175 will be used for flights to offshore platforms. The start of deliveries is expected in 2012.
AW139 in Russia
AgustaWestland, in turn, is now continuing to work on the AW139 assembly project announced two years ago in Russia. Andrey Shibitov announced at HeliRussia 2010 that Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland will open a joint production company HeliVert in June. Without waiting for the formal signing of the contract, Russian Helicopters have already prepared areas for the construction of the AW139 assembly line in the Panki village near Moscow. On the first day of the salon "Oboronprom" agreed with AgustaWestland on its technical specifications, and work should begin this fall. The production of helicopters directly starts towards the end of 2011. The plan for 2012 and 2013 is, respectively, 4 and 8 aircraft, while then the assembly will have to reach the level of 20-24 helicopters per year.
More than ten companies are already showing interest in the AW139 produced in Russia. The first client, again, is likely to be UTair: in December 2009, the company signed a cooperation agreement with AgustaWestland, and its pilots and technicians are now being trained to operate and maintain the AW139. In addition, participation in HeliRussia 2010 was only the first stage of AW139's journey across Russia. The helicopter will go on a two-week tour and visit such oil and gas centers as Surgut and Tyumen.
